


Fire and Water: An Era of Peace

by 2bros5ft



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Comedy, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Don We Now Our Gay Apparel, Eventual Smut, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gaang (Avatar), LGBTQ Character, M/M, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn, The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar (Avatar), Western Air Temple, Yuyan archers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:15:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24958231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2bros5ft/pseuds/2bros5ft
Summary: LMAO sorry this has been abandoned
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 86
Collections: avatar tingz





	1. The Messenger Hawk

_Dear Avatar Aang and company,_

_Your presence has been humbly requested by Firelord Zuko at the Fire Nation_  
_Royal Palace for a meeting of utmost importance. You will be greeted with_  
_palanquins for those who wish to utilize them. The meeting with His Excellence_  
_will commence at dusk in two days time, and will be accompanied by a feast_  
_to show our gratitude for the Avatar’s attendance in our nation._

_~The Council of Fire Sages_

“This is great!” Aang exclaimed, tossing the scroll over to Katara. “We haven’t seen Zuko in so long, I wonder what he wants us there for!”

“It’ll be nice to see him again, won’t it? We haven’t been inside the palace since his coronation,” Katara added. “I know Toph and I have been looking forward to speaking with Iroh again, too,”

Toph was picking her toes by the fountain, but still had time to interject. “Yeah, yeah, the Fire Nation’s so much fun isn’t it? He probably wants us there just for business means, you’ll only see him in his throne room anyways,” She deadpanned, waving her hand in front of her face.

A loud crash followed by some yelling grew louder from the statue hall.

“I SAW A MESSENGER HAWK,” Sokka said between breaths, looking very sweaty.

“Uh, yeah, wanna read it?” His sister questioned. “It’s from Zuko, he wants us to--”

“Shush! I don’t want any spoilers,” He swiped the scroll from Katara’s hands and quickly skimmed through it. “Uh huh...yeah, yep...Zuko...important meeting, blah, blah, blah...Zuko’s throwing us a party? I knew he cared!”

With a quick shift of her heel, Toph struck him in the gut with a sizable rock. “You’re a real idiot aren’t you? It’s a meeting that needs all of us, which means it’s gotta be serious. Otherwise he would’ve just wanted a letter back,”

“But there’s food,” The nonbender said from the ground with a dopey grin on his face. “Besides, it’s been two years since we've had any kind of war, how serious could it be? He probably just misses us,” He quickly got up to dart back into his room and quickly returned with his stationary to write an RSVP of sorts. "Care to weigh in, anyone?"

"Uhh, I don't know. Maybe you should let _me_ write this one, buddy," Aang suggested.

"What, why? I am perfectly capable of telling "His Excellence" that we will gladly attend his party," he remarked, crossing his arms in defense.

"Sokka, the last time you sent Zuko a messenger hawk he didn't understand half of what you were saying. The fire gummies you attached melted all over the scroll," Katara reminded him.

Reluctantly, he handed the brush and ink over to Aang, but not without muttering under his breath.

_Dear Firelord Zuko,_

_We would love nothing more than to be able to attend this meeting of yours._  
_Joining me will be Toph, Katara, and Sokka, but please hold the palanquins._  
_We will begin the ride at dawn tomorrow, and hope to arrive by evening, as to_  
_have ample time in the Fire Nation. We are honored by your invitation and  
_will be delighted to sit in on a meeting with the Firelord.__

_~Avatar Aang_

Aang rolled up the scroll, tied it with a black ribbon, and tucked it back into the canister on the bird's back. 

"Sokka, put the fire gummies away."

~ _In the Fire Nation~_

Zuko sat by the pond in the Palace Gardens, tossing little pieces of bread to the turtleducks that swam by. _Happy Birthday, Mother. I hope you're at peace somewhere._ Rip, drop, repeat. He was gentle with the animals, and couldn't stand his sister's disregard for them. He fed them as an apology on behalf of Azula. By the time the small loaf was gone, the sun had already begun to set over the mountain range following the dormant volcanoes and the sky turned to a rosy peach shade.

"Firelord Zuko?" Zuko's favorite servant, Sun, called for his attention. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but a scroll just arrived for you," She was a waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe, and was placed as his right-hand servant because of her advanced healing abilities.

"Thank you. Please, take the evening off. I'll see you in the morning,"

Sun left with a bow, leaving the message in his lap. When he undid the black ribbon, a rare smile spread across the young man's face in response to Avatar Aang's RSVP. Zuko stood up, and made his way to the throne room to find a few servants. 

"Excuse me, but are the rooms in the East wing prepared?" He inquired.

"Three rooms, each with a large bed and native decor for the guests?"

 _Nod_.

"They will be finished by sunrise, sir," He thanked the women and retired to his bedroom. Zuko always felt uncomfortable calling them "servants", but he wasn't sure what else to call them. _Maids? Assistants? Should I just learn all of their names?_

Walking down the hallway, he gazed at every painting on the wall. He kept the portraits of his forefathers, for history's sake, but he added ones of his mother and Lu Ten. He looked at the floor in shame. _How could my family be such a disgrace?_ In passing, the young Firelord left a scroll from his sleeve on the shelf underneath Lu Ten's and his mother's pictures, and bowed his head in humility. 

When he finally reached his bedroom, Zuko was greeted by the soft wind blowing in through the balcony doors. _That's weird_ , he thought, _I could've sworn these were shut earlier._

_Fwip!_

An arrow landed at his feet.

"Hey!" He shouted. "Who's there?" When he looked up, on the roof across the garden was seemingly a Yuyan Archer, swiftly fleeing from the area.

"...Huh. That was weird," He pulled the balcony doors shut, but was met with a metallic _Clang!_ When the young man looked down, there was a black _jian_ \--straightsword--that seemingly appeared out of thin air, with a note attatched. 

"...Well that's even weirder," Zuko picked up the sword, a little large for his stature, but beautifully crafted, and fairly new--the handle grip is completely clean. The blade itself has a few nasty scratches in it, but it doesn't look like any metal he's seen before. _I'll just put it in the display, here._

The Firelord removed his shoulder coverings, followed by his traditional crimson robes with gold trim. He always thought it was a bit odd--considering they're meant to be worn by a firebender, these robes are awfully warm. He removed the black pants and boots--not that anyone could see them, but they were also quite ornate. He slipped on some charcoal-colored linen pants, and removed his golden hairpiece. The feeling of his jet black locks fall onto his shoulders each night was always so satisfying. 

Little did he know, things were about to get a bit more interesting for Firelord Zuko.

;)


	2. The Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late post! I didn't end up having internet connection until Saturday morning :/

"Ugh, are we there yet?" 

"Toph, I thought you didn't even wanna come with us,"

"Sorry Ponytail Guy, but I can't see anything on Appa,"

"Calm down, you guys, there's the gates!" Aang said with a smile.

As Appa descended from the clouds, Sokka straightened his ponytail and Katara reattached her hair loopies. The gates of Azulon were absolutely beautiful, especially after they were rebranded as welcoming gates as opposed to barriers to keep people out. Those golden dragon statues on the coast weren't as big as Ran and Shao, but they were still quite notable in size.

"Woah, check that out," Sokka's eyes widened with delight. "It's a crowd by the entrance way!" The rest of Team Avatar (barring Toph) peered over the front edge of Appa's saddle to find a collection of Fire Nation citizens waving and cheering at the arrival of the Avatar. Appa let out a deep growl as he approached the clearing on the beach followed by stones. Despite his request, there were still four palanquins waiting to deliver the esteemed guests to the Royal Palace. These, however, didn't have the shielding curtains on the sides, so they could still see the crowd on their way over.

"Hello, Avatar Aang," One of the Fire Sages greeted the group with a bow. "We have provided you all with transportation up to the Palace, for it's an awfully long walk."

"Thank you," He bowed in return. "We'll only need two, though, Toph will go with Sokka,"

"Of course,"

Toph held onto Sokka's arm and climbed into the palanquin, followed by Katara and Aang boarding their respective ones, as well. The young waterbender was always a little off-put by the amount of praise the group got. _I mean it's not like we do that much, anyways. It's all Aang, really._ He didn't mind the attention, as long as he got to talk to people freely, and not be some untouchable figurehead. Sokka and Toph on the other hand? They loved to be loved. They each beamed as they heard people cheering for them, even if they wouldn't be visiting for long. A little girl even ran up to the palanquin and handed Toph a small Fire Lily before giggling and scurrying back to her place.

They traveled further and further up the dormant volcano, everyone being given little gifts along the way, until they had finally arrived at the courtyard.

~In the Palace~

That morning, Zuko was being pampered by the palace staff (the term he had settled on) after some convincing, and they were sure to make him comfortable. His hair had grown longer since the Hundred Year War, it was now just past his shoulders--not quite as long as most Firelords' hair was, but he was kind of new at this. It would take another year or so until he could have the top knot _and_ long locks. His thick, black hair made for a beautiful top knot (at least, that's what one of the women brushing out his hair said). 

His robes had been pressed and laid out on his bed, awaiting his return. Before he was able to slip away from the palace's "spa", Sun hurried over to Zuko. 

"I wanted to see if we could try something, sir," She brought up timidly.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?" He responded, tying his maroon robe shut.

"Well...it has to do with your scar, sir," Zuko's eyes widened and his jaw clenched. "If you don't want to, that's alright, I just-I wanted to see if it would work?"

"...Is that a question? You can try but it can't be healed, Sun," He replied, relaxing his jaw. 

"Uhm...well, I, uh...I can explain after you meet with the guests, I suppose," Sun bowed her head and hurridly turned away.

"Wait," He grabbed for her arm, but quickly retracted. "I'd love to hear your idea, just...later."

"Of course, sir,"

"Hold on...they're here already!?" Zuko was hastily returned to his room to get dressed. 

He slipped on the robes, one by one, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door as he put up his hair.

"Come in,"

The door creaked open and the familiar scent of Jasmine tea filled the room. 

"Uncle!"

"It is good to see you, _Firelord_ Zuko," Iroh set down a golden tray of tea on the nearby table and embraced his nephew with a hearty laugh. "How I've missed you these past months,"

"I'm glad you're here, Uncle. How are things at the Jasmine Dragon?"

"Business is booming, my nephew! Ever since the people of Ba Sing Se put two and two together about Lee and the Firelord, they can't get enough of my tea shop!" He looked at the regal gold hairpiece sitting on the vanity behind Zuko with a smile. "Why don't you have a seat?"

He seemed surprised, but sat down on the chair anyways and faced the vanity mirror. Iroh held the hairpiece with awe--it was so much more beautiful up close than on his brother's head. He tightened Zuko's top knot and secured the hairpiece in place with a crimson ribbon. 

"I am beyond proud of you, Zuko,"

"I know, Uncle. I am, too," He stood up, bowed to his uncle, and ran along to greet Team Avatar. 

Staying in the room, Iroh admired the display case of various katanas and broadswords, except for a black sheep of sorts--a black straightsword. _This is rather peculiar. I have never seen such a simple weapon be this unique before._ He carefully removed the sword from it's shelf to find a note attached to it. Out of respect for Zuko's privacy, he returned it to it's place on the display. _Perhaps it was a gift._

~In the courtyard~

Zuko stood at the top of the stairs in front of the palace doors, with a smile spread across his face. As the palanquins were placed at the gates to the palace, Aang, too, looked at the Firelord with a smile. The group stepped out and all walked side by side to the steps to see their friend and ally. The five teenagers all bowed to each other in a deafening silence.

"...Flameo, Hotman!" Aang broke the silence with a goofy smile on his face.

"It's good to see you all again," Zuko chuckled. They were able to trap the young Firelord in a group hug, but after a few seconds he kind of enjoyed it--not that he'd ever admit to such a thing. "I'll show you to your rooms,"

Aang and Katara were roomed together in a blend of decor from both the Air Nomads and Water Tribe, Toph was roomed by her lonesome in a room stylized after a noble Earth Kingdom home, and Zuko had yet to show Sokka to his room. 

"So," The nonbender began. "These are all some pretty nice digs you got for us. What's your _room_ like?"

"Wh- my room? I don't know," Zuko was caught a tad off-guard. "It just looks like...Fire Nation-y? Lots of red, some swords, masks--"

"Swords, you say?"

"Yeah, here I'll show you," He led Sokka down the hall and to the left, and opened the door to his room. He was right, it did look Fire Nation-y. A deep maroon canopy bed was on the far side of the room, perpendicular to the balcony doors. All of the decor was red, for the most part, except for some black and gold accents. On the jet black side table sat a tray of tea--no longer steaming, but it probably once was. Jasmine, maybe? The _piece de resistance_ was the sword display. It had some very well-polished blades complimented by equally as beautiful handles. The infamous Blue Spirit's broadswords and engraved knives were just some of the ones featured in the Firelord's room. 

"Wow, I take it you're well-rounded?" Sokka stared at each and every blade in the case--admiring his reflection, but also admiring the exceptional quality. "Heh, I had no idea you toyed with anything besides twin dao--Hey, that looks familiar,"

"What does?"

"That sword down there at the bottom. I made one just like it with Master Piandao, but I lost it during the comet," Unsure what it was, but something clicked in his brain. "Where did you get this?"

"Actually, I just found it out on the balcony so I ju-"

"That _is_ my sword! Zuko, How did you find it?" Sokka lifted the sword off of its shelf in awe.

Taken aback, the Firelord didn't really know what to say. He just stood there, very confused.

"What are you talking about? I just got this sword yesterday,"

"I- this is amazing, Zuko, thank you so much!" The nonbender seemed like his head was in the clouds, and clearly didn't see the confusion of his friend's face.

Once he left, Sokka realized he still didn't know where his room was. Not wanting to ask for help, he knocked on Toph's door. 

"Who is it?"

"Who else would it be?" The door flung open and he was greeted by pale greens and pastels. Toph was laying on a huge canopy bed, sort of like Zuko's if you switched the colors. 

"So, what's up?"

"Uh, I kind of got lost," Sokka replied, timidly rubbing the back of his neck. "Can I sleep here?"

"Why don't you just ask for directions?" She could feel his heartbeat racing and retracted her question. "Actually, whatever. Just don't do anything weird,"

Dinner was delivered to everyone individually to let them all settle in and relax for the night. After the clock ticked away and the only light shining in was from the moon, Zuko still didn't know what he did wrong. He laid on his bed and couldn't bring himself to eat, so he sipped the tea Iroh had brought him earlier. _I should say something, shouldn't I?_

Zuko stood up and firebended the tea a little to make it warm again. He brought the tray with him and made his way to speak with Sokka. He knocked a couple times to gauge his reaction.

"Sokka?" No response. "Can I come in?"

Nothing.

"I have some tea, I'll just leave it on the table, I guess," He opened the door to find everything pristine. _Where did he go?_

Not knowing what to do at that point, Zuko sat down on the Polar Leopard skin rug and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. He set the tray down on the table and laid down on the soft fur. Before he knew it, he had fallen fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you all think of this chapter, I'd love to get some more feedback! Sorry again for the late post <3


	3. The Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd also like to clarify that I myself am a bisexual trans man so we will not be fetishizing any LGBTQ+ experiences <3

As the morning sun shone through the window, Sokka propped himself up on his forearms. He glanced over at Toph, who was still snoring, and laid back down. 

"Psst," He whispered. "Toph, you awake yet?" She shifted around a bit and muttered something sleepily.

"I couldn't hear you, what?"

"Go back to bed, little gay boy," She slurred.

"Wh- okay first of all, the sun's coming up, and _second_ , I am _not_ gay!" Sokka protested, sitting up.

"Yeah, sure. I'm going back to sleep,"

Sokka carefully got up and slipped out the door. _Maybe I can find a training room somewhere_. He eventually found a large metal door labelled "Sparring Grounds". The young tribesman pushed open the door to see maroon mats lining the floor, walls made of mirrors, and the largest collection of weapons he had ever seen. On the south-facing wall was a hefty assortment of blades and training dummies. _Shit, I left the space sword back in Toph's room._

He quietly made his way back through the halls of the palace, trying his best to figure out where he started. He eventually saw a door that looked similar to Toph's titled "Guest Room #3". He did his best to not make any noise, but as the door opened, rather than pale green reflecting back at him, he was greeted by blues and whites. There were pelts and furs decorating the walls and floor, and a bedroll with a small card that read "Sokka". _Oh nice, I actually found my room._ He was quickly interrupted, though, by a small groan from the floor. His eyes were met with the Firelord's tired, golden orbs.

"Uh- oh, hi, Sokka. What time is it?" Zuko mumbled, rubbing his face. He watched Sokka back up into the wall, clearly startled.

"Aha! I, uh, I was just, y'know...exploring?" He started to sweat, and scratched the back of his neck.

"Huh? I can show you around some more, if you want," The young Firelord sat up and straightened his top knot. "What do you wanna see?"

"I found a training room earlier but, I don't know, whatever you wanna do," Sokka's cheeks turned scarlet and he adjusted his gloves. "Wait, what are you doing in here?" 

"Uh..." Zuko's pulse quickened and his eyes raced around the room for an answer. "I brought some tea. But, um, you weren't here, so, I guess I fell asleep."

He took the tray off of the table and set it down in front of him. He looked back up at Sokka who had an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Uncle made it...it's Jasmine, if you want it," He offered. Sokka shrugged and sat down across from him, picking up a cup.

"So, I take it Iroh still has his tea shop?" He asked, sipping the now cold cup of tea.

"Yeah, things are going pretty good there," Zuko glanced at his friend to see a mild discomfort on his face. "Oh, let me take care of that for you," He clasped his hands around Sokka's, who then released the cup to Zuko. With a touch of concentration, he heated up the tea just until it steamed, and handed it back to his guest.

"Thanks," Was all he could get out, but his palms told a different story.

"So, where'd _you_ sleep last night?" The older boy asked. 

"Oh, heh, I ended up rooming with Toph for the night. It was the last place I remembered the way to," Sokka chuckled to himself. "Hey, what do you do for breakfast around here?"

After they finished their tea, Sokka went and knocked on Toph's door. 

_Clang!_

The door swung open, and they were greeted by the earthbender fully-dressed and ready for the day.

"Oh, you're up," Sokka said, surprised.

"Yeah, once you said something about the sun I figured I might as well get up," She remarked. "Plus, I got hungry." Toph slugged Sokka in the arm and the trio made their way to Aang and Katara's room.

"Wait," Sokka swung an arm in front of Zuko. "Can we have Toph wake them up? Katara's kinda scary when she's tired,"

"I mean, I wasn't gonna go in there either," He replied.

The Blind Bandit tiptoed up to the door and lightly knocked. No response. She took a deep inhale and the two others covered their ears.

"RISE AND GRIND, TWINKLE-TOES!" Toph threw open the door and the boys stared in fear. "We're getting breakfast, you guys wanna come?" Katara was facing the wall, but turned her head to dish out a glare that could kill. Luckily, Toph only heard her shifting around, so she didn't care.

"Mm," Aang sat up on the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes. "I _am_ pretty hungry, what do you think, Katara?" Upon seeing the look he was given, he just slipped out of the room and decided she'd join them when she was ready.

"We can have hotcakes in the Palace Gardens if you want," Zuko suggested. The group seemed to nod in agreement, so he led them down the halls and out to the garden. He motioned to Sun to bring out the food in a few minutes and she hurried off to the kitchen.

"Wow, Zuko," Aang began. "This place is really beautiful! Was the turtleduck pond always here?"

"Well, it was there when I was a child," He replied, looking at the clouds whilst deep in thought. "My mother and I used to feed them, but when I returned from my banishment, they weren't there anymore," The Firelord looked to see the airbender gently coaxing a turtleduck into his hands.

"I sure am glad they came back," The monk said with a broad smile across his face. 

"Hey," Sokka called to Zuko. "Can I pick these?" He was pointing to the old and twisty apple tree, with one hand already on a branch.

Zuko's eyes widened and he thought of that time in the fountain with Mai. He rubbed his eyes to shake away the memory, and gave the warrior a smiling nod. Seeing him reach up and stick out his tongue in determination made the firebender's hands sweaty. He was quick to wipe them on his robes, but not without Toph taking note of the interactions between these two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love hearing feedback from you guys so please let me know what you thought of this chapter!! <3 also follow my tumblr at nephilimlm if you wanna see my favorite fanarts and headcanons :3

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts!! I want it to feel the most like an extension of the series with some fan elements thrown in, like ships and headcanons, but I don't want to stray from the feel of the Gaang too much. I hope you enjoyed so far, and I'll be posting a new chapter every Tuesday and Friday:3


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